Battle of Hinchinbrooke

The Battle of Hinchinbrooke (18 October 1812) was a battle of the War of 1812 fought between the United States and the United Kingdom at Hinchinbrooke in Quebec, British Canada. An American army of 1,824 troops under General Mason Scott marched north in an attempt to capture the city of Montreal, but they were engaged by 2,076 British troops under General Lucas Morgan and Colonel Ethan Spencer. The Americans were victorious in the battle, although many of their forces were minutemen.

Background
The Americans invaded British Canada at the start of the War of 1812, hoping to occupy the whole country of Canada and annex it to the United States. The US Army made forays into Canada at the start of the conflict, but they were defeated at the Battle of Queenston Heights in Ontario on 13 October 1812. An army of 1,824 American troops under General Mason Scott were sent to occupy Montreal in Lower Canada as the other armies engaged the Anglo-Canadians elsewhere. Unaware that the Americans lost Queenston heights, Scott continued north until he was engaged by an army of 2,076 British/Canadian troops under General Lucas Morgan and Colonel Ethan Spencer at Hinchinbrooke in the Chateauguay Valley of Quebec. The Americans engaged the British and Canadian army, and the second battle of the war took place at Hinchinbrooke.

Battle
The American army consisted almost half-and-half of regular infantry and volunteer infantry, with an artillery unit and some regiments of horse. The British were also composed similarly, with a large army of British regulars and grenadiers as well as an accompanying Canadian force of militiamen under Colonel Spencer. The American army to the right, consisting of two US grenadier regiments, one minuteman, and one regiment of horse launched an attack on British heights on the British left flank, where they had two British grenadier regiments in addition to a force of artillery. The Americans routed the British on the right flank, taking advantage of their numerical superiority, and the main American army also held back a British offensive led by General Morgan in person. The British army was repulsed through the efforts of the American army, and the British retreated, with their Canadian infantry fleeing first. The battle belonged to the USA, and 488 Americans and 1,677 British and Canadians were killed, wounded, or missing (quite a few of the British losses were due to desertion).

Aftermath
The American victory was short-lived, as the Americans were later forced to go up against superior British forces following the British victory at Queenston Heights five days earlier. With chances of winning against a British army of 10,000 troops looking bleak, the Americans decided to retreat back to New York, where they could replenish their armies.